1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of chip multiprocessors (CMP) and, more particularly, to reconfiguration of resources within a CMP.
2. Description of the Related Art
Chip multiprocessors (CMPs) are becoming increasingly popular. A CMP has two or more processor cores implemented on the same integrated circuit (IC) device. The increase in popularity may be due, at least in part, to the notion that a CMP may be a more efficient use of the millions of transistors that may be included on an integrated circuit than, for example, a more elaborate single processor. For example, by sharing processing loads between processor cores, a CMP may execute some tasks at a lower frequency than that required by some single core processors. Lower frequencies may translate in some cases to savings in power and a reduction in the thermal budget.
Since CMPs include multiple processor cores, they may also include circuitry associated with each core. For example, a CMP may include one or more separate cache memories for each processor core. In addition, a CMP may include interconnection circuitry that connects the processor cores to each other and to the chip input/output pins. Due to the structure and complexity of CMPs, manufacturing CMPs to be fully functional may be a challenge.